I have been wanting to move up from the point and shoot I have been using. A opportunity to aquire a Canon EOS T3i with 18-55mm lens at a good price has come about. Just need some opinions on if this is a good entry level DSLR for shooting wildlife. In particular snakes. Thanks for any information in advance.

Truthfully, any DSLR these days is going to be pretty good, and the T3i is no exception. When it comes to DSLR shooting, it is the lens that is far more important than the camera body. Unless you're offered a sensational deal, I might recommend picking up a different used body and using your available funds on better lenses. The Canon 18-55mm IS lens is about as nice a lens as you can get for the price. Sooner or later, you will want to add more glass though.

If you're interested in snake photography, a nice macro lens would accompany a kit lens quite nicely. There are tons of options; among the most popular are the Tamron 90mm, Canon 100mm, Sigma 105mm, Tokina 100mm, etc. As well, an external flash is something you'll probably eventually want as well. A WARNING: getting into DSLR photography can drain your wallet...there's just too many lenses, tools, etc that you'll want to acquire!

But yes, the T3i is a fine camera and with it you will have the tool to greatly improve your point-and-shoot photography. It just takes time to understand how to use it, how aperture, shutter speed, and ISO work together in creating exposures, and so forth.

Just get the camera body and skip the kit lens, it's not good enough for the camera and you'll likely end up being disappointed with your photographs. IMO, it's better to invest in a higher-quality lens right from the get-go, so if you're not happy with a particular shot you'll know it's just because you need to fiddle around more and not because you're just shooting through crappy glass. Though I've never used it, I've heard good things about the 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom. Almost any Canon prime lens will give you good quality images as well - I have the 100mm f/2.8 macro on my camera, and I almost never take it off. It can shoot both large and small herps (though for the former I need to get back quite a distance), and has excellent glass quality.

Actually the current 18-55IS kit lens is at least equal and probably better quality than the 28-135. Bigger issues than optical quality for herp photography are probably focal length range and working distance. For the T3i a nice cheap zoom lens is the 55-250IS. This will handily fill the frame with most snakes from a few feet away. Alternatively, for tiny creatures that will let you get close, the 60mm macro lens is a good choice. Both of these lenses are designed for crop frame cameras like the T3i, are sharp and and relatively inexpensive.

camera bodies come and go, glass is forever. I do not recommend third party lenses. Though the glass on my sigma 105 is tac sharp and i get great images it is slow loud and i miss alot of shots. If you go canon i would stick with canon glass.

camera bodies come and go, glass is forever. I do not recommend third party lenses. Though the glass on my sigma 105 is tac sharp and i get great images it is slow loud and i miss alot of shots. If you go canon i would stick with canon glass.

There are slow, loud Canon lenses too. Don't judge a lens by its label. Read a lot of reviews and if you can try it on your camera body.

I would keep the 18-55 for habitat shots, etc. It may even focus close enough to get most snake shots. Sure, it isn't as sharp as a 90mm macro, but it will get you some great shots while you are saving up for a 90/100 mm macro.That kit lens will focus down to 9.8" and will fill the frame with something as small as a golf ball. That should meet your needs while you learn to use the camera.

Thank you to everyone for the helpful info. BD, That is exactly what I got. I know a lot of people said skip the kit lenses, but I got a great deal from a friend in need of money. And it wqs barely used, like 5 times barely used So far I am happy with basic shots. I will be getting a 100 f/2.8 Macro lens sometime I hope before to long into the upcoming season. I still have a lot to learn. I had signed up for a class at my local community college. But had to cancel due to business in Japan. I have learned a little bit by watching some videos on You tube.